Ask The Guide

It’s only the dual-clutch transmission that’s affected, and Fiestas also had the problem. I’m guessing you bought the car secondhand, which is probably why you got no response from Ford. Contact the ACCC (1300 302 502) for advice.

Electric vehicles will be more mainstream in 2-3 years time, but they won’t be anything like mainstream in that time. Getting the purchase price down is the key to electric vehicles becoming more popular. In your timeframe I would be still be thinking about a small petrol-engined vehicle, with a view to going electric the next time you change cars.

Try eBay, or perhaps a Kia dealer in America, or if you have a friend in America you could have them buy them for you and ship them out.

You can use 91-octane unleaded petrol, but to get the best performance and lowest fuel consumption it’s recommended that you use 95-octane Premium unleaded.

You’re right to be concerned about buying a car with a high mileage.

While it’s tempting to buy a car that was once out of our financial reach now that the price has down to a point you can afford it you have to think about the future rather than the now. How long do you plan to keep it, and how many kays will it do while you own it. If you plan to keep it three years it will have close to 300,000 km when you want to sell it. You have to ask yourself if you can afford to have it repaired if something goes wrong. Volvos are no better or worse than other European cars, but like all European brands they tend to be more expensive to repair when they break down. Buying secondhand is not like buying new when all the cars are the same. All secondhand cars are different, they’ve been driven by different people, they’ve been subjected to different climates and road conditions, they’ve been serviced at varying frequencies by different service mechanics, some factory trained, some backyarders, some have done more kilometres than others, etc., etc.

The best advice is to buy the best car, with the lowest odometer reading, with the best service history, that’s been owned by the fussiest owner.

On average a 2012/13 Wildtrak is worth $27,000-$30,000 and would have 80,000-120,000 km on the clock. For that you would expect it to be in good condition and well serviced. Yours fits into that window, but of course has an extensive array of extras that would add to its appeal, and its value. I would suggest you add up the cost of each of those extras and add about 50 per cent of that value to your asking price.

The current model, second-generation Ford Edge (or Endura in Australia and New Zealand) is built in Europe and the USA. More than 1.5 million Edge models have been sold since 2006.

Always buy the highest specification model you can in your budget. This will help retain resale value and increase enjoyment of the car.

Press the narrow end of the key together at the grooved section, lifting the middle back panel up, which you can then lightly pry away using a flat-head screwdriver. Lift out the metal key, then place your flat-head screwdriver under the opening in the back of the key, at the narrow top end of the key fob. Twist the screwdriver and the key will separate in two, revealing the battery to be swapped out.

Ford's mid-size C-Max isn't a terrible car, just like Ford's Focus, but there are more luxurious and more sporting vehicles. All in all, it is a great middle-of-the-road vehicle for people needing reliable transport.